State record muskie now listed as a world record

CHARLEVOIX — A Great Lakes muskellunge previously named a state record has now been listed as a world record by a group called the International Committee of the Modern Day Muskellunge World Record Program.

At the time the Michigan Department of Natural Resources weighed the fish for the state record, it weighed 58 pounds and a taxidermist reported the length at 58 inches, according to a release from the DNR.

The International Committee of the Modern Day Muskellunge World Record Program is listing the fish at 58 pounds, 58 inches long with a girth of 29 inches.

Joseph Seeberger of Portage was fishing with friends for bass on Oct. 13, 2012, when he hooked the muskie in Lake Bellaire. Because he was using such light fishing gear, Seeberger fought the fish for two hours.

"They were pretty experienced anglers," said fisheries biologist Patrick Hanchin, who verified the fish's state record status. "You really have to play it and let it take drag. They had to slowly tire it and it took them hours to land it."

Hanchin said the anglers had hooked the muskie directly in the corner of its mouth, away from its teeth, which could have cut the line.

Lake Bellaire is part of what the DNR calls the "Lower Antrim Chain," which consists of Intermediate Lake, Lake Bellaire, Clam Lake, Torch Lake, Lake Skegemog and Elk Lake. The chain is dammed off from Lake Michigan by a dam built in the late 1800s in Elk Rapids. The Great Lakes strain of muskie naturally reproduces in the chain, said Hanchin.

"The conditions are perfect for growing big muskies there," said Hanchin. "There is abundant forage and coolwater refuge."

Seeberger's fish beat the last state record fish by seven pounds, eight ounces. The last state record, also a Great Lakes muskie, came from Torch Lake. That fish, caught by Kyle Anderson, weighed 50 pounds, eight ounces, and was caught in 2009.

The Great Lakes strain is the strain in all Great Lakes-connected waters, said Hanchin. The DNR stocks what's called the Mississippi River strain, also referred to as the Northern strain, traditionally in southern Michigan lakes.